Combination therapy for advanced pancreatic cancer using Herceptin™ plus chemotherapy

  • Authors:
    • Peter Büchler
    • Howard A. Reber
    • Guido Eibl
    • Mendel A. Roth
    • Markus W. Büchler
    • Helmut Friess
    • William H. Isacoff
    • Oscar J. Hines
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: October 1, 2005     https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.27.4.1125
  • Pages: 1125-1130
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Abstract

The HER2/neu oncogene is overexpressed in up to 70% of human pancreatic cancer specimens when compared to normal pancreatic tissue. This cell surface receptor can be targeted specifically by the neutralizing antibody Herceptin™. Herceptin has been successfully used in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents in breast cancer, a cancer in which only 30% of patients harbor elevated HER2/neu levels. In the present study, we investigated the therapeutic efficacy of Herceptin in combination with gemcitabine and docetaxel. Gemcitabine is currently the standard chemotherapeutic agent used to treat pancreatic cancer. In contrast, docetaxel, a taxane, is only just being investigated in pancreatic cancer. Tumor cell resistance to taxanes is at least in part mediated by the HER2/NEU oncogene. We have previously characterized HER2/NEU expression in human pancreatic cancer cell lines and studied the anti-tumor activity of Herceptin monotherapy in vitro and in vivo. In the present study, combination therapy resulted in a dramatic improvement of animals bearing human pancreatic cancer xenografts. Furthermore, metastasis and production of ascites was lower when a combination of these three agents was used. We conclude that, as with breast cancer, the anti-tumor activity of Herceptin may be improved by combination with taxanes or gemcitabine.

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October 2005
Volume 27 Issue 4

Print ISSN: 1019-6439
Online ISSN:1791-2423

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Spandidos Publications style
Büchler P, Reber HA, Eibl G, Roth MA, Büchler MW, Friess H, Isacoff WH and Hines OJ: Combination therapy for advanced pancreatic cancer using Herceptin™ plus chemotherapy. Int J Oncol 27: 1125-1130, 2005
APA
Büchler, P., Reber, H.A., Eibl, G., Roth, M.A., Büchler, M.W., Friess, H. ... Hines, O.J. (2005). Combination therapy for advanced pancreatic cancer using Herceptin™ plus chemotherapy. International Journal of Oncology, 27, 1125-1130. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.27.4.1125
MLA
Büchler, P., Reber, H. A., Eibl, G., Roth, M. A., Büchler, M. W., Friess, H., Isacoff, W. H., Hines, O. J."Combination therapy for advanced pancreatic cancer using Herceptin™ plus chemotherapy". International Journal of Oncology 27.4 (2005): 1125-1130.
Chicago
Büchler, P., Reber, H. A., Eibl, G., Roth, M. A., Büchler, M. W., Friess, H., Isacoff, W. H., Hines, O. J."Combination therapy for advanced pancreatic cancer using Herceptin™ plus chemotherapy". International Journal of Oncology 27, no. 4 (2005): 1125-1130. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.27.4.1125